Birthday cake making and icing dilema

[buntinglicious]

Ok, next Friday is DD's first birthday, but we aren't really doing anything on the Friday. On the Saturday we are going to a wedding and staying over night in a hotel, just the evening do though I think. On Sunday we are going to my mum's and getting together with some family for DD's birthday. I desperately want to make her a gorgeous cake for the Sunday (not point on the Friday as there will be no-one but me and DH to eat it! - Oh DD might get a taste ).

Could I make the sponge on the Saturday and take it to the hotel and keep it there and ice it on Sunday at my mum's? Will it keep ok? Will it need to be kept in the fridge?

Oh and any tips for icing the cake? I am hoping to hire a 1-shaped cake tin. I am tempted to buy and icing bag but have never used one before. Do you just use butter icing?

oh yes, you can get cups here, even in plebian places like Woolies or Tesco

Cups? >>confused

Oh I would love to have acess to a proper bakery, I just do mine at home. I did suggest to dh we converted the garage into my work kitchen but he wasn't very keen !

buntinglicious make sure you line the tin with grease proof paper! Even the most well buttered tin sticks.

I don't line my tins, I butter then flour, never sticks.

ComeOVeneer, do find you get taken advantage of sometimes?

herbietea, post away!

In what way MsSparkles?

People expect you to do really nice cakes for them but don't want to pay you what you should be getting.

No but I am quite new to the game.

TBH mine is more for pocket money rather than a full on career.

That recipe sounds great herbie, thanks

I've order my "1" mould and bought a piping bag . I think I'm going to go for chocolate with green icing (baby's first E no's!) and piped flowers.

Hmm, can you get natural food colouring?

we had a similiar problem for our ds' 1st birthday. I bought the ready rolled royal icing and used that to cover the sponge which, I think kept it sort of air tight for a couple of days, and decorated on top of that.

Ok, I am making the cake, from Herbie's recipe (don't need to transport it now, eating it tonight). It didn't seem enough so I doubled the mixture but it was plenty, I've made 5 muffins out of it and the mixture has spilled over the tin - oops!

10 minutes till it's ready, I'll keep you posted!